The present invention relates to the use of acrylate copolymers as water proofing agents in personal care products.
Many personal care products rely on water proofing agents for their overall functionality. For example, there is a consumer need for mascaras, which will not come off upon crying, and sunscreen lotions which will not come off during swimming. Although there exist many personal care products which claim water resistance or water proofing, there is a need for longer lasting water resistance with improved aesthetics. Many existing products that claim water resistance are waxy, greasy or heavy in feel, making them undesirable to consumers. Further, many of the agents currently used in personal care products to impart water resistance are difficult to handle or incorporate into the formulations.
A poly(vinylpyrrolidone/eicosene)copolymer currently used in many personal care formulations to impart water proofing, is oil soluble, and results in a formulation with an unpleasant greasy, waxy or heavy afterfeel. Further, it is difficult to incorporate into products in that it cannot just be mixed in at any point during processing. This poly(vinylpyrrolidone/eicosene) copolymer may also increase the formulation viscosity dramatically, resulting in difficulties in formulating products with desired properties.
Consumers are demanding not only improved water resistance of their personal care products, but also smooth, creamy formulations, which are neither waxy nor heavy and greasy in feel. Manufacturers are demanding that such water proofing agents be easy to incorporate into products, particularly in the aqueous phase, without the need for heat, neutralization, or other special processing, thus allowing greater formulation versatility.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that the use of acrylate copolymers provide excellent water resistance to personal care products without the undesirable waxy, greasy or heavy feel. Further, these acrylate copolymers are easy for manufacturers to use as they can be easily incorporated into the water phase without special processing.